Virtual Series 3
by Cat Yuy
Summary: This series takes place after Doomsday. Each Episode is by different writer. 10R Jack and others.
1. Jack

Jack

Written By: Edders of LiveJournal

"Well, I suppose if it's the last chance I have to say it…" the Doctor took a deep breathe. It'd been at least 800 years since he'd ever said it. "Rose Tyler-"

A beep on the TARDIS console interrupted him. The gap between universes was sealed. Forever; his final words never to be repeated. He opened his mouth, trying in vain to say them as if she'd hear, but dropped his head. Memories flooded his mind.

_Some day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties._ _Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am no mistaken in mine._

_"You don't mind, do you?" "Mind? He might even be able to turn you into scientist…. Save me a piece of wedding cake? Oh, I nearly forgot… your wedding present."_

_Oh, Sarah Jane, don't _you _forget _me

_"I suppose we're going to miss Romana; still, the future lies this way."_

_"Please, let us part in good faith… I want to stay." "Then you're a very brave person and I wish you every luck."_

_"No! No, don't leave, not like this… It's strange; I left Gallifrey for similar reasons: I'd grown tired of their lifestyle. It seems I must amend my ways. Come on."_

_Think about me, when you're living your life, one day after another, all in a neat pattern. Think about the homeless traveler in his old police box; his days like crazy paving._

_Me come with you? It's tempting…_

_I had a life with you for nineteen years, and then I met the Doctor. And, well, the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us, the whole stupid planet and every planet out there, he does it alone, mum. But not anymore. And now he's got me._

_Rose Tyler…_

_From what I've seen, your happy-go-lucky little life leaves devastation in its wake. Always moving on 'cause you _dare_ not look back._

He wiped his face dry at that last thought, not wanting to be haunted by old foes at a time like this. He walked around the console and started to disengage the TARDIS from the supernova to prepare for departure. He didn't know where he'd go, but he didn't care. It just had to be somewhere else. Anywhere but here, this dying star, a testament to the dead and dear departed. The final legacy of the woman he could have loved had he just reached out a little bit more. The final legacy of yet another failure in a long list of failures.

A woman was in front of him. She was wearing a bridal gown.

"What?"

She spun around and squeaked in shock.

"What?"

"Who are you?"

"But…"

"Where am I?"

"What?"

"What the hell is this place?" she shouted.

"What?"

She faded away as quickly as she appeared.

"What?" The Doctor checked his controls. The TARDIS seemed perfectly normal. Except, no, what was that emergency light?

The TARDIS shuddered, and a host of voices were audible, like there was an busy crowd in the next room.

The Doctor ran for the interior door and threw it open, revealing a crowd of burly workmen. "What on Erth is goo-ing on 'ere?" a clearly Welsh accent demanded from one of the nearby men angrily wielding a clipboard."

"I… I don't know," the Doctor frowned. "What are you doing here?"

They disappeared before a reply could be offered.

"Welsh. That's odd." The Doctor scurried back to the console room and examined the readings. "This is bad. This is very bad…" he quickly started changing the coordinates, deciding that there was somewhere he wanted to go afterall.

The TARDIS rocked again, throwing him off for a moment, but he jumped back into action just as quickly. A couple instruments sparked and he nearly burned his hands, but he kept working.

"You'd think a Time Lord can't mourn in peace!" he growled, setting the last switch. "Aha, that's done it!"

Half the console exploded, throwing him against the wall, where he slumped to the floor in a crumpled heap.

Jack looked at the ground and grinned. It must've been a year since he was first here, but the pavement had already been repaired, or replaced in some spots. He thought back to that day, when the Slitheen's tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator had nearly caused the TARDIS to destroy the Earth over the Gelthian Rift. He chuckled as he followed the crack lines which all lead to the TARDIS. Funny how nobody ever seemed to notice that they all converged on one point…

He stopped and turned around. The TARDIS _was _there! A mix of emotions came to mind, but duty rose to the top – at least for now. He ran through his key ring until he found his old copy of the TARDIS key, and tried the door.

"Oh, Doctor, you should have changed your locks," he shook his head with a grin. He shut the door behind and looked around. The TARDIS was darker than he remembered it being; it seemed as though its power supplies were low and it was parked to recharge, just like when he'd been traveling with the Doctor here. "Anybody home?" he called out.

No response came, so he walked forward slowly, looking around suspiciously. Perhaps the Doctor was out? No, he was on the floor on the other side of the console. And it was his new body, just as the Prime Minister had said. "You Time Lords and you're tricky legends. Makes it very difficult to keep fact and fiction straight; just gotta have that enigmatic nature about ya." He rolled the Doctor over to look at his face. "Textbook enigmatic," he shook his head in awe.

"Actually, I think you'll find that phrase was reserved for the Face of Boe," the Doctor replied, suddenly opening his eyes. "A phrase which was coined by me."

"Doctor, what happened?" Jack was caught off guard.

He didn't answer right away, but blinked and stared for a brief moment. "Jack! It's you, isn't it!" He stood up and gave him a bear hug. "It's good to see you again," his enthusiasm suddenly dropping to a friendly businessman tone, "You know I could really use your help right about now. A little TARDIS maintenance, like old times, eh?"

"Sounds good, Doctor," Jack replied coolly, escaping the embrace and facing the Doctor again. "But first things first."

"Oh? Oh, right, sorry. What are you doing in Cardiff?" The Doctor remembered his human manners.

"I'm placing you under arrest."

"What?"

"By the authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain."

"What?"

"And I'm confiscating your TARDIS."

"What?"

"By the authority of Torchwood. Cardiff Branch."

"What?"

Jack slapped a device on the Doctor's wrists and pressed a button on them which sent a jolt of electricity through the Time Lord's body. He watched as the Doctor slumped to the floor unconscious once again. "Sorry it had to be this way." He pulled out his cell phone and placed a quick call. "Gwen? Yeah, hi. Have I a find for you…"

_The Void was open, but the lever on the other side was knocked unlocked by a Dalek whooshing by. Rose let go of her magnetic clamp and started pushing on the lever. The Doctor could barely hear it click as it locked into place, the cacophony of the windstorm of Voidstuff-tainted matter was so deafening. But Rose's feet slipped off the floor and she was hanging on to the lever for her life. "Hang on!" he cried, knowing there was nothing he'd be able to do to help her. She cried out in fear as her grip slowly gave way. He screamed as she slipped away towards oblivion, towards the Void from which there could be no escape. And then Peter Tyler appeared, caught her, and transported her away to his world across the Void in a parallel universe. The Void closed. It was ended. And Rose was gone._

The Doctor jolted awake in a sweat. He was in a small room with a door and mirrors – more likely one-way windows – a small table, chair, and two armed guards by the door. Their badges stated all he feared: he was a prisoner of Torchwood, and this time they weren't going to make him "Perfectly comfortable." Or would they?

He picked himself up and lounged in the cold metal chair. "Chance for a cup of tea?"


	2. Torchwood

Torchwood

Written By: Edders of LiveJournal

Jack Harkness opened the door to the canteen and picked up a mug of coffee from the counter. Throwing the lady behind the counter a pearly-white smile, he went over to a corner to sit with his Torchwood colleagues, Gwen Cooper and Dr. Sato. "Hello ladies, how's everything going on this fine Cardiff afternoon?"

"That new prisoner you brought in," Gwen replied softly, "The Doctor, or whoever he is, is the talk of the place. People can't seem to get enough gossip on the guy. Who is he, anyway?"

"It's complicated," Jack brushed the question aside for the moment. "Has he said anything since he regained consciousness?"

"As a matter of fact he's done nothing but talk," Dr. Sato sighed. "He asked for tea, and then started rattling off numbers. I couldn't be sure at this point but from where he started he seemed to be reciting pi."

"Pi's an infinite expression, he's got to stop sometime," Gwen frowned.

"Winging it is a specialty of his," Jack said. "He probably started making it up after the tenth decimal place!"

Neither of his friends chuckled, and he dropped the cool smile quickly.

"Why exactly are we keeping this guy prisoner, Jack?" Gwen asked. "Nobody seems to know what he's done."

"He's… it's for the good of the universe." Jack stammered. "He was technically banished from the British Empire by Queen Victoria when Torchwood was founded, but recent events have caused us to prefer a different approach."

"Which involves arresting him?" Gwen was skeptical.

"Exactly," Jack leaned forward conspiratorially. "We keep him right here on Earth, in this time, where we can keep an eye on him."

"In this time?" Dr. Sato asked.

"The Doctor is a time agent, like Jack was," Gwen explained.

"No, he's a Time Lord. He's not only from the future, he's from another planet. Gallifrey, supposedly."

"Oh, now it all makes sense to me," Gwen rolled her eyes.

Dr. Sato paused in thought. "Last year, when the spaceship destroyed Big Ben, there was this man… he seemed to know about aliens, or at the very least understood that faked pig we recovered was faked. He disappeared before I could ask him anything else."

"What did he look like?" Jack was intrigued.

"I don't know, fortyish, thin hair, black leather coat… he sounded like a northerner."

"That was him!" Jack slapped his hand on the table in excitement.

"Jack, that's not the man we have in custody," Gwen narrowed her eyes.

"I told you, he's a Time Lord," Jack explained patiently. "Time Lords can regenerate their bodies when they would otherwise die."

"So this Doctor's immortal?" Dr. Sato looked doubtful.

"He's just pulling your leg, don't listen to him," Gwen sighed.

"No, not completely immortal. There are things that can inhibit the regenerative process. Obviously if his body's blown up, or sucked into space there'd be nothing he could do, and there are probably drugs that can affect the process too."

"You're serious aren't you?" Gwen asked.

"Would I lie to a pretty face like yours?" Jack feigned a sad face.

"Yes you would," she nodded vigorously. "Like that time last week when you said-"  
"I don't think Toshiko needs to hear that story right now," Jack interrupted with a bit of a cough.

"That's Dr. Sato to you, but you're right, I don't think I need to hear about your… latest escapades. Besides, we'll be wanted in the confinement chamber soon. I'm sure you both heard that the Prime Minister will be coming to talk to the prisoner in just twenty minutes."

"Yeah, sorry Dr. Sato, we remember," Jack sat back. "I'll just finish my coffee, yeah?"

The Doctor was doing his best to sulk. There were two emotionless guards watching him from either side of the single door out of his cell. Well, it wasn't really so much a cell as it was an interrogation room. He was sitting back in a metal chair, pretending to be comfortable with his feet up on a Plexiglas table with a metal frame. He smiled and gave a little wave to a mirror on the left wall, knowing it was really just a one-way mirror with a no-sense-of-humor agent on the other side watching his every move.

"So where was I… 5 4 9 7? No, did that section already… must've been at 5 4 6 7, yes, so that's 5 4 6 7 2 9 1 9 0 5 -"

The door opened and in walked two women. The first was a youngish brunette he didn't recognize, and the second was… was Harriet Jones! He stood up in surprise. "Well, if it isn't Harriet Jones!" He extended his hand.

"This is the Prime Minister, in case you'd forgotten," the other woman scolded him. "And I'm Gwen Cooper."

"Are you?" the Doctor didn't look away from Harriet Jones. "So, how's the job?"

"I'm afraid I'm not here to make small talk," she curtly responded. "Doctor, tell us what happened at Torchwood Tower last week."

"What, last week? Oh, you mean with the Cybermen and the Daleks…"

"The what?"

"The Cybermen were the metal invaders," Gwen explained. "According to the research done there, they had crossed into our world from an alternate dimension."

"Why didn't I see this report?"

"With Torchwood HQ practically destroyed, we've had a bit of trouble getting the right information declassified. The office of the Prime Minister wasn't originally meant to be even aware of Torchwood, understand."

The Doctor watched the banter with slight amusement.

"Of course, I understand," Harriet nodded, consciously forcing herself to maintain a calm patience. "You heard that Doctor? You very nearly completely destroyed the Torchwood facilities in London, and I'm demanding an explanation."

"Sure you have the clearance to hear this?" The Doctor teased.

"Answer the question, sir," Gwen sighed impatiently.

The Doctor stared the Prime Minister in the face so intently she nearly flinched. "No."

"What?" Harriet was flustered now.

"I'm not gonna!" he grinned cheekily.

"What do you mean?" Gwen grumbled.

"It means no," he frowned.

"What is the meaning of this negative?" Harriet Jones demanded.

"The less you know, the better," the Doctor nodded in finality, and Harriet could see that she wasn't going to get passed this wall right now.

After a moment of silence, Harriet asked, "On Christmas Day… Why did you do it, Doctor?"

"Do what? You're still Prime Minister, aren't you?"

"Don't you think she looks tired. I found out what you said eventually, Doctor. It was a publicized health scare, nothing more. Your six words didn't work."

The Doctor grinned again. "Right, those weren't the six words that would actually bring down your government. That was just a warning."

"_No second chances,_" Harriet remembered aloud. "You're that kind of a man."

"Exactly, and that was your first."

"So what are the six real words?"

"To bring down your government for real? You sure you want me to say them in here?"

"Yes, Doctor, these people I know I can absolutely trust."

"Very well, but don't say I didn't warn you," The Doctor took a deep breathe. "She voted for the Scottish Nationalists."

Gwen snorted back a laugh, and grinned at Harriet, who couldn't help but smile too.

"How long has been, anyway?" the Doctor asked.

"About half a year I should think," Harriet answered, still grinning.

"How long, exactly?"

"Well, It's been seven months, exactly."

"So this is the 25th of July, 2007?"

Harriet blinked. "Well yes, Doctor."

"Oh good," he breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good to know I'm at least keeping up with the times."

"Oh, Doctor, you are such a strange man sometimes…" Harriet trailed off as the door opened and Jack entered.

"So, has he spilled the beans yet?" Jack asked as he closed the door.

"Not a peep about the tower," Gwen sighed.

"I thought as much," Jack shook his head and faced the Doctor. "Alright, just tell me what happened."

The Doctor looked at Harriet, then at Gwen, and then at Jack, his face reddening with each turn. "Just who's side are you on!"

"Hey, no need to get excited, Doctor, just answer my question. I'm in charge of this branch of Torchwood and it's my responsibility to get answers out of you… one way or another!"


	3. The Fight

The Fight

Written By: Superherogrlcat of LiveJournal

The Doctor managed to stare gravely at Jack for a full ten seconds before he burst out laughing.

Jack, somewhat peeved, glared down at the hysterical doctor, steadfastly ignoring the amused look from the Prime Minister and Gwen's frown.

"Sorry," The Doctor gasped at last, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "I think you were saying something about getting answers out of me one way or another"

"Glad you find my threat amusing." Jack replied dryly.

"Threat." The Doctor snorted. "Jack, really. I haven't changed that much since my regeneration. Well, that's not accurate, I suppose. I have changed quite a bit, haven't I? But do you really think you could force me into telling you anything I didn't want to?" He clicked his tongue. "Please. Don't make me laugh, Jack"

"You're the only one who seems to think that this is funny, Doctor." Jack snapped." I don't think you get it. You are a prisoner of Torchwood. I am the head of the Cardiff branch of Torchwood. Which makes you my prisoner. So I'm only gonna ask this one more time"

By now Jack's voice had risen almost to where he was shouting, glaring down aat the seated Doctor.

"What. Happened. At. The. Tower!" But by this time Jack wasn't the only one who was angry.

"You. Don't. Need. To. Know!" The Doctor shouted in reply, standing up to look into Jack's eyes, his fists clenching at his sides.

Jack was taken aback slightly.

That was a reaction he would've expected from the old Doctor, maybe; this new version seemed far more affable and laid back.

But, apparently, when angry, this Doctor was just as frightening.

There was an undercurrent to his anger, though. Something cold. Fear or regret or maybe both, Jack wasn't sure.

But he was going to find out.

He turned coldly away from the doctor. "Oh, fine then." He snapped. "Do what you always do. Just show up, screw around with everyone lives, leave devastation in your wake, like you always do, and don't even bother letting us know what happened. Because, hey, we're just stupid apes, right? You can't be bothered with actually telling us anything"

"Jack," Gwen said warningly, wary of the level of emotion he was displaying. She'd never seen him this angry. If he couldn't be objective while interrogating the Doctor, she didn't think it was a good idea to let this go on, but Harriet put a hand on the younger woman's arm.

"Just wait ." She said quietly.

Gwen frowned and decided to let it go, for the moment.

"That's not fair, Jack" The Doctor protested, but Jack wasn't finished.

"You want to know what's not fair? I'll tell you what's not fair!" You running rampant through the universe, the self-proclaimed savior of mankind, dragging innocent bystanders along into your wake, that's not fair. You use innocent people to further your own ends and if they get killed in the process then that's just too bad! You're an almightily Time-Lord, you can do whatever you damn well please"

"I do not use people!" The Doctor replied, sharply.

"Don't you!" Jack demanded. "Seems to me like that's all you ever do. You keep people until they no loner suit your purposes, and then you leave them behind without a second thought, just like you left me! If that's not using people, what the hell is"

"If people helped me, it's because they choose to!" The Doctor snapped, leaning across the table to stare at Jack. "You don't know anything, Jack"

"Oh, yeah, that's right, because I'm just a human, and I can't possibly know anything about what it's like to have all those people dying because I dragged them into situations they couldn't understand"

The Doctor was silent for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and dangerous and his eyes when he looked up at Jack were smoldering with rage.

"I can't fall asleep at night without hearing the screams of those who I couldn't or didn't dare save. Don't you ever try to try to tell what I do, or do not understand. I may convince people to follow me, to help me, yes. I won't apologize for it. If they died, they died helping to create something better. They died better people"

Jack sneered contemptuously at the Doctor.

"What about Rose, did she die a better person?"

The Doctor's eyes snapped with anger and for a split second, Jack thought that the Doctor was going to hit him. Instead he slammed his fist hard against the metal table with enough force to dent it. The guards at the door moved as if to restrain him, but Gwen motioned them back, staring intently at the Doctor and Jack. There was definitely something deeper going on here, something that went beyond a simple interrogation. She wanted to see how it would play out.

The Doctor stared angrily at Jack, eyes snapping, his breath coming hard and furious. Then, slowly, the Doctor seemed to get control of himself.

"How dare you?" He whispered, dangerously, his fists clenching at his side.

"It's true, isn't it?" Jack shot back, coldly. "You left her to die"

"Rose isn't dead!" The Doctor shouted, his voice seething with an anger and grief that Jack could almost feel. As suddenly as it had arrived, his anger was gone, and the Doctor slumped back down into his seat, looking defeated. "It feels like part of me is, though." He whispered.

Jack stared down at the Doctor. "Just…tell me what happened." Jack said cautiously. Then, quietly, after a few seconds, "Please"

The Doctor took a deep breath, then spoke in a dull voice, as if reciting something from memory. "There was a tear, a rip between this universe and another very similar to it. It was torn open, and this world was the epicenter. Some time ago, Daleks sent a void ship to this world, and it opened. I had to close the void. I wanted Rose to stay in the alternate world where she'd be safe, but…" the Doctor gave a shuddering laugh. "She wasn't having it. She stayed to help me, said she didn't care about the risks." The Doctor paused here, like he was reliving difficult memories. And because of that she almost died. She was so close to being trapped in the void. Her father from the parallel world saved her at the last minute, but the portal between the universes closed. I can't open it again." He stared hopelessly up at Jack, and his voice cracked as he continued on. "She's trapped there. She's with her family. She's safe. But I can't ever see her again"

And Jack could do nothing but watch helplessly as the Doctor put his head in his hands and began to cry.

Jack felt a lump in his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to go to the Doctor.

Gwen, however, had had quite enough.

"Oh, for God's sake, Jack. You're being an ass."

Shouldering Jack aside, she knelt by the Doctor's chair, placing one hand on his shoulder and shooting Jack a glare that made him wince. He was being an ass.

"Hey. It's okay…" Gwen began awkwardly, but before she could get any further, Dr. Sato burst through the door.

"Gwen, Jack sorry to interrupt but you're needed immediately." She said urgently, out of breath like she'd run all the way there. "The rift's become active again."


End file.
